"On behalf of all New Yorkers, our hearts go out to Haiti and the hundreds of lives lost in the wake of Hurricane Matthew. We extend our thoughts and prayers to the families affected by this terrible tragedy, and while we are still trying to understand the full extent of the stormís damage, we ask New Yorkers to stand together to provide support through disaster relief efforts.

"As the storm makes its way up the coast, our state is prepared with personnel ready to be dispatched to assist with recovery. We have sent a team of New York Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services staff to Florida to help the state recover from the storm and we will stand ready to offer assistance as it is requested by other states impacted by the hurricane.